Auto Insurance Claims: New Car, Should we let Dealer fix it or collission center, auto body shop, brand new car

Question
Hello,
My new (3 month old) Infinity got rear-ended and the impact felt strong, but the car itself seems to have sustained only damage to the bumper. The bumper was cut in several places by the other car's license plate and will probably need to be replaced. As I am not a car expert by any means, I don't know if the shock absorbers were damaged, etc... The impact felt pretty hard and I had a sore neck for 2 days, but did not go to the doctor. I feel fine now. The accident took place over Thanksgiving weekend. The other party was at fault and their insurance is AAA. As it is a brand new car, should we go to the dealer to repair it or to the AAA recommended auto-body shop? Does the bumper come pre-painted, or will the auto-body place try to match the color? Will the body shop run the proper tests to make sure the car did not suffer any structural damange? Will it void the warranty if we don't go to the dealer? If we do go to the dealer, can AAA tell us ahead of time how much they will reimburse us for? In case it matters, state is CA.

I very much appreciate the input as I am unfamiliar with this process.


Thank you,
Zlata.

Answer
Your bumper does not have shock absorbers.
The bumper will need to be painted by whoever installs it.

Body work is rarely brand specific.  Some of the best body shops that I've seen are associated with dealers as well as some of the worse.  

There are no "tests" per say to run regarding structural damage.  There are measuring devices though that will be used.  

It will not void the warranty as long as the repairs are completed properly, no matter what shop you choose.  In fact, my experience is that less than half of the Infinity dealers actually do body work.

The insurance company will explain the estimating and supplement process to you.

Good luck.